30 Days of COURAGE
Personal reflections on confronting the truth about white supremacy
A daily email for 30 days from Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick
30 Days of COURAGE
Personal reflections on confronting the truth about white supremacy
A daily email for 30 days from Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick
One of the things I’ve learned about confronting the truth about white supremacy - a system and culture that privileges those who have come to be known as white - is that, however painful, it is a necessary form of healing from the systemic gaslighting that we all experience, even as the specifics vary depending on our backgrounds and identities.
We can't solve a problem we can't name, and we can't get to where we want to go if we don't know where we are.
Being really honest, at least with myself, and then with others, has allowed me to heal from trauma I couldn't even fully name or articulate before, and to build the resilience to move forward.
And when I speak from my perspective, for my own healing, what I've found is that it helps others too.
Because what I want most for all of us is to heal from the trauma of white supremacy and other forms of oppression so that we can stop perpetuating it - on ourselves or others.
White supremacy, a system designed to favor those who are deemed white and oppress those who are not, affects all of us.
Racial justice isn't a "special interest". It is interlinked with all the other issues we care about, including gender equity, climate change, LGBTQIA rights, poverty, education, gun violence, criminal justice, immigration, healthcare and more.
I don't believe you can dismantle patriarchy without dismantling white supremacy, and I don't believe you can effectively dismantle any system of oppression without addressing all of them.
An email a day for 30 days about white supremacy
In December 2018, I set out to write daily for 30 days about my ongoing journey confronting the truth about white supremacy.
Without planning ahead of time what I was going to write, each day I sat down and wrote what came to me that I most felt like I needed to say.
The result was over 60 hours clocked writing almost 140,000 words.
But more than the stats, the result was new realizations, new perspectives, new healing and new connections with many amazing new readers from many different racial backgrounds who wrote to share how much they were getting out of the series too.
In December 2019, one year on, I re-released the series, adding additional comments or thoughts as well as prompts for personal reflection as well as consideration at a team or organizational/institutional/corporate level.
This series is for you if...
You are willing to bring an open mind, a growth mindset, and an interest in listening.
You are open to a process of self-reflection that takes into consideration your racial identity as well as other aspects of your identity.
You are ready to confront some truths about white supremacy.
Note: this series if for you no matter how you identify racially.Note: this ouy
What I promise is...
I do my best to share from my own experiences without telling you what yours are or should be.
I do my best to tell the truth about white supremacy as I have learned to see it, knowing that I will not ever uncover the whole truth, nor is there one truth, only a multitude of perspectives.
I do my best to speak gently, from the heart, with love and compassion, while also confronting hard truths that may feel quite uncomfortable for me or you or for both of us.
I do my best to use courage, even when I worry about how you might react to what I have to say.
What happens when you sign up?
- You'll receive an introductory email with links to thirty emails in case you would like to proceed at your own pace.
- You'll receive daily emails for the next 30 days. You can opt out of the daily emails at any time and still receive future new emails.
- After 30 days, you'll continue to receive weekly emails that build on the series and continue the discussion.
- You can opt out at any tme if you decide this isn't for you.
- You'll also be invited to join the private Circle of Courage Facebook group. This is a space to connect with other readers as well as with me. All thirty emails are also uploaded and accessible within the group, and you'll be invited to share your thoughts and join in the discussion if you would like.
What you should know about me.
I'm a British Born Chinese American - Google that and nothing comes up! (Except maybe eventually this page.) The immigrant daughter of immigrant parents, I've spent most of my life as the only or one of only a few non-white faces in predominantly white spaces.
I am the Principal & Founder of Co-Creating Inclusion, a diversity, equity, and inclusion firm with a focus on shifting culture and driving equity through strategic consulting, leadership & team development, workshop facilitation, and business integration. Our mission is to help people, teams, and organizations create culture transformation through inclusion and belonging in order to co-create the conditions where all can thrive and do their best and most fulfilling work. Our clients include small to mid-sized non-profit organizations and companies in a variety of industries.
Born and brought up in the UK, I've spent over half my life in NYC where I live now with my husband and two boys, aged 7 and 10. Trained as an architect, I spent almost 20 years managing workplace strategy and corporate headquarters projects, and I continue to be active in the profession through speaking and giving workshops on diversity, equity, inclusion and leadership in architecture.
Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick © 2018